Food shredding apparatus



Dec. 9, 1941. s. wELANDr-:R

FOOD SHREDDING APPARATUS v Filed May 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 9, 1941. G, WELANDER 2,265,658

FOOD SHREDDING APPARATUS Filed May 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 and yet ,adapted for rugged wear and use.

Patented Dec. 9, 1941 estasi" o rales UNITED S'lsi F903)l SHREDDENGA APPARATUS Gustave Welander, Arlington, N. J.

Application May' 9, 1939,*Serial N0.` 272,557

7 Claims. v(.lCl. 14S-'124) This invention relates to a device for cutting .proved device of this class, adapted for finely 'cutting various types of food products, including .the leafy parts of celery, spinach andI other leafyl vegetables.

.Another object is to provide an improved device of this type which is simple in construction A 'further object is to provide such a device that Vis :capable of being quickly taken apart for washing and cleaning. Yet another object is to provide a simple means for compensating for wear and controlling the spacing between the face ofthe cutting disc and its adjacent wall.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 is va side'view of the device of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 .is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is the top plan view of the :cutting disc. Fig. 5 is a side View of the device of Fig. 4. In thel embodiment illustrated the rotatable 'cutting disc I0 has a closely adjacent stationary top wall II, a peripheral side wall I2, and a bottom vwall I3. lIlhese walls enclose the cutting disc except where the driving shaft I4 passes `through the bottom wall I3 and where the material is supplied and discharged to and from .the device. The disc Il! has a projecting portion adapted to t over the motor shaft I4, such por- .tion being provided with bayonet slot I5 for reception of the projection or locking pin I5-a, 4by means of which the cutting disc may bequick- .1y and easily removed from the motor shaft I4.

4priate packing strip 22 is provided between the .peripheral walls I2 and the top wall II, the

.walls I2 being shown as being integral with' the bottom wall I3. Suitable wing nuts'23 engage .pivotally mounted bolts 24 for retaining the top wall I I clamped against the top of the peripheral v-wall I2. The bolts 24 are shown as being provided with a pivotal support M25-a. secured beneath Ithe extension 25 on the casing. They extension 26 from the motor casing provides a support for the bolts2'l by means of which th'e casing for the cutting disc may be adjusted in height with respect'to the supporting extension 26 by means of the nuts 28.

The rasp-like teeth are preferably of substantially the same height and the top wall II is located -so close to these rasp-like teeth that leafy materials like spinach, celery leaves, etc., will be shredded and cut in passing through this device. Diiculty has heretofore been experienced with `some of the prior devices of this class for the reason that the leafy materials are not cut as satisfactorily as they should be. One feature of this'invention includes the making of the rasp teeth so close to the `top blade that these leafy materials will be cut and well shredded, there being no chance for th'e leafy substances to be passed between the tops of the teeth and the top wall. The cutting disc is preferablyimperforate. As the material is supplied tothe cutting disc, it is finely ground or shredded by the'teeth 2l .and then the cut material is directed by centrifugal force toward the peripheryof the disc. As shown in Fig. 3, the periphery of this disc is preferably spaced a short distance from the peripheral walls I2 so that th'e cut'material, after reaching the edge of the disc ID, may be thrown off by centrifugal force and fall vby gravity to theperipheral portion of the bottom plate I3. The vanes 20, located on the under side of the cutting disc I0 (sh'own in dotted lines in Fig. 4) function to direct the grated or cut material. radially inward to some extent, but at least these vanes direct the cut material toward the openingv I8 and the discharge passage I9. After 'being discharged the material is preferably collected in any suitable manner, used Y'for salads, for cooking, or the cut material may be put in a press for extracting a major portion of the liquids or juices. Such liquids make a healthful, natural beverage.

The spacing or clearance between the tops of th'e rasp teeth 2| and the bottom of the top wall II maybe adjusted by means of the nuts 28 on the supporting bolts 2'I. Raising the bolts 21 causes the casing of the cutting disc to be raised with respect to the disc, or, in other words, causes theclearance between the cutting teeth v2l andthe top plate II to lbe increased. Conversely, lowering the bolts 2.1 diminishes this clearance. It `should beundenstood the' cutting disc is mounted on the motor shaft andthereand 28 may compensate for such wear and adjust the clearance to the desired amount above the cutting teeth. By loosening the wing nuts 23 and swinging bolts 24 outwardly away from the axis of the motor shaft, the top plate II may be removed or taken off the peripheral supporting walls I2. Of coursethe hopper I1 comes oif with the top wall I I. After this the cutting disc I may be removed from the motor shaft I4 by means of the bayonet slot and screw or other projection IS-a. In this way it will be possible to quickly and easily clean this device ,on the cutting .disc and on the casing walls on each' side of it.

Among the advantages of this invention may be mentioned the close t between the cutting teeth and the top or adjacent wall. While the device has been illustrated with the cutting disc horizontal, such position should not be always necessary. Another feature is believed to be the Vcentrifugal urging of the cut material from be- `This cutting device isrsanitary and maybe easily kept clean. It is easy to take apart, easy to put together again. The feed bin II makes it unnecessary to hold or automatically feed the material by any other means than gravity. The materialgdoes not clogA in the teeth of the cutting disc because the teeth constitute guide surfaces by means of which the cut material may be directed radially outward. Stated in another way, centrifugal'force-due to the high speed motor, which maybe about 3500 R. P. M., acts to prevent clogging .oriloading of the teeth with cut material. Thewide radial space on each side of the teeth gives ample room for the cut material to be thrown out centrifugally.

The centrifugal removal of cut material from between the resp-like teeth is assisted by the Ysubstantial spacing of each tooth from adjacent teeth and thefact that.. the disc is imperforate Vto preclude material clogging in the disc. Since theclearance between the teeth and the top wall II" is small enoughfto insure the cutting up of leafy materials, the adjustment of this clearance space will to a substantial extent control the fineness ofcutting. lAs 4shown in the drawings, the `space between the edge of'the disc IIJ and the.' side walls I2 is much larger than the space between the teeth 2l `and the adjacent wall I I in order to give ample opportunity for the centrifugally discharged cut material to fall by gravity ontothe bottom wall' I3.. As shown, the varies 2E) yare' of substantiallyuniform depth. The drawingsishow how the teeth v2! are arranged notl precisely, but only generally radially;

Iclaim: N i n l. Ina device for cutting food, the combination with aigenerally horizontal, imperforate, rotatable dischaving'ra'sp-'like teeth on top thereof, a stationary upper wall close to said teeth, a peripheral wall spaced from the peripheral edge of the disc; a lower wall spacedfrorny the disc on the under side thereof, a vane extending Vsomewhat radially on the under side of said disc, an opening in saidv stationary upper wallV for the supplyof vmaterial to be cut, an openingV in the lower wall below saiddisc and through which cut material is adapted to be discharged, and means for rotating said disc at a .speed such that leaves and the like will be cut between said teeth and upper wall, passed to the edge of the disc by centrifugal force, passed around the edge of the dise and directed to said discharge opening by said vane, and said means for rotating the disc including a motor and casing, a motor shaft on which said disc is mounted, means for clamping said upper wall against said lower wall with the peripheral wall therebetween, and means for adjustably supportingV said lower wall from said motor casing, whereby adjustment of said supporting means may control the spacing between said disc and said upper and lower walls.

2. A cutting apparatus comprising a rotatable imperforate disc having rasp-like teeth all eX- Y. tending in the same direction with respect to the rotation of said disc, each tooth being spaced substantially from an adjacent tooth to facilitate the centrifugal discharge of cut material from said teeth, a relatively stationary wall generally parallel to said disc and close to said teeth, a peripheral wall spaced from the edge of the disc a substantially greater amount than spacing between the first mentioned wall and teeth,

vwherebyY the cut material thrown off from said disc impinges upon the peripheral wall and passes through the space between it and the disc, and

`varies on the opposite side of said disc from said teeth', said. vanes being non-radial at least in part, about the same height throughout their length'and disposed to direct some of the cut Ymaterial radially inward, and a discharge pasteeth, a peripheral wall spaced from the edge ofV the disc a substantially greater Yamount than Yspacing between the first mentioned wall and teeth, whereby'the cut material thrown off from said'disc impinges upon the peripheral wall and passes through the space between it and the disc, a Ysupport for said disc, and a support'for` saidswallsindependent of said disc support, and means for adjusting Ysaid walls axially with-re YspectV to said disc. l l

4L A cutting apparatus "including `a rotatable imperfrate disc having rasp-like teeth, a motor lfork driving said disc, said disc being mounted on the Yshaft of said motor,n stationary plates one Von, each side of said disc, a peripheral wall spacing said plates, a motor casing, and means for adjustablysupporting said plates and peripheral wallas a unit from said motor casing whereby said platesmay be adjusted relative to said disc to'control the fneness vof cutting without changingtheposition of said disc and itsdrive shaft or the uniformity of spacing between the disc and plates.n v'

- 5;- Akcutting apparatus including an imperi'or/ateirotatable disc having rasp-like teeth thereon, a stationary plate adjacent saidteeth,

Vastationary` plate spaced on the opposite 4side of Ysaid disc from said first plate, a peripheral'wall radially, spaced from said disc and'carried by said second mentioned plate, `and means` for Yquickly removing the rst mentioned Yplate and comprising pivotalbolts carried by one of vsaid plates for reception in guide slots carried bythe other plate, and nuts on said bolts for clamping the rst mentioned plate when said bolts are received in said guide slots, a driving shaft on which said disc is mounted, a stationary support for said plates, and threaded means for adjusting the separation between said stationary support and said plates as a unit, whereby the spacing between said disc and first mentioned plates may be controlled.

6. A cutting apparatus including an imperferate rotatable disc having rasp-like teeth, a stationary plate close to said teeth, means whereby material may be supplied between the plate and disc, a peripheral wall spaced from the edge of the disc a greater amount than said stationary plate whereby cut material may be centrifugally discharged from said ldisc and then freely moved between the peripheral wall and dise to the opposite side of said disc, and means for feeding such material to a discharge passage. f

7. A cutting apparatus having a rotatable imperforate disc provided with rasp-like teeth on one side, a drive shaft for said disc, a stationary support for said shaft, stationary plates arranged one on each side of said disc, means between said stationary support and said plates for ad* justing them as a unit with respect to said support, means for quickly separating said plates and including bolts pivoted to one of said plates, guide slots carried by the other plate for receiving said bolts, Wing nuts on said bolts for clamping said plates together, a peripheral wall spaced from the edge of the dise and clamped between said plates by said bolts, means for supplying material to the teeth on said disc, means for centrifugally discharging cut material from the teeth on said disc and freely moving the material around an edge of the disc, and means for discharging material which has passed around the edge of the disc said last mentioned means including a vane on the side of said disc opposite said teeth.

GUSTAVE WELANDER. 

